This year’s Australian Open will be the highest-paying in history with a prize money pool of a staggering AUD $111.5M, a year-on-year increase of 16%.
There has been an increase in compensation issued to players in every round of this year’s tournament, with the singles champions earning $4.15M. Those who reach the semi-final stage will be guaranteed at least $1M in prize money. Under these new payouts, all singles and doubles players get a minimum of a 10 per cent increase. On paper, it looks like a great deal for players, but not everybody is happy.
The calls for more prize money continued on Friday during the Australian Open’s media day, with numerous top figures arguing that more progress is needed. It is centered around calls for players to receive a greater share of the revenue generated by the Grand Slam events. According to BBC Sport, it is estimated that the current share is around 21%. However, a group of players led by former WTA chairman Larry Scott believes it works out as roughly 16% of Tennis Australia‘s total income.
“I think we can always do better,” world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka commented on the subject.
“I think all of the slams are trying to work together with us and come to a conclusion.
“I hope one day we’ll get to a happy place for everyone.”
Alexander Zverev is less optimistic about a resolution happening based on his experiences as a member of the ATP Players Council. In tennis, there are numerous governing bodies, with each one of the Grand Slams having its own. Therefore, they are not obligated to follow any rule implemented by the ATP or WTA.
“I don’t really feel like there’s any progress to be honest,” said Zverev.
“One of the reasons maybe why I left (the council) is because I feel like it’s just a lot of talk, a lot of time invested into it and not really any changes.
“But that’s to the higher powers of the tennis world. That’s not my decision. That’s not up to me. That’s not up to players to be honest.
“It sometimes feels like the governing bodies don’t really get along so well and it’s very difficult to get them into one room and talk about what is really good for the future of tennis.”
Prize money isn’t the only topic that players would like addressed. Two other areas include player welfare, such as pension contributions. The other is for them to have a greater say in the decision-making process of the sport.
Coco Gauff is one of those who have been involved in discussions that took place last year. She expects more meetings to take place this year and ‘maybe more pressure being applied’ from those in the top 10 to trigger a change.
“From my understanding, they obviously increased the prize money this year,” she said. “The percentage is still, of revenue comparison, not where we would like it.
“I think there’s still further conversations that have to be had, not just with the Australian Open but with all the slams. We have player representatives that have been working really hard to do that a lot for us because we can’t do it, be in person, as often.
“The collective feeling is that, yes, there’s been progress, but I still think it’s not where we would like to see it. We are grateful for the progress that has been made.”
Australian Open 2026 prize money – Men’s and women’s singles
Winner: £2.1m (AUD $4.15m)
Runner-up: £1.1m (AUD $2.15m)
Semi finals: £622,000 (AUD $1.25M)
Quarter finals: £373,000 (AUD $750K)
Fourth round: £239,000 (AUD $480K)
Third round £163,000 (AUD $327.75K)
Second round £112,000 (AUD $225K )
First round: £75,000 (AUD $150K)
